Typhoon Champi killed one person and injured 527 in Taiwan by Saturday, October 24, knocking down trees, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes at the storm’s peak and disrupting flights as it weakened and moved north toward China.
Taiwan’s fire department said the person who died was swept away by waves off Liuqiu Island. The injuries happened amid strong winds and torrential rain. Champi passed near Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan early Saturday.
It then circled offshore and moved north. Taiwan’s weather agency reported gusts of up to 227 kph in some coastal areas, even as the storm weakened. At one point, more than 288,000 homes had lost electricity.
By Saturday, power had been restored to most homes, although around 56,000 households were still without power. Officials said more than 5,000 people had been evacuated before the storm. The storm brought down power lines and sent roof tiles flying.
Taiwan’s transport ministry reported 242 flight cancellations on Saturday, down from nearly 1,000 the day before. Schools and offices in parts of northern and central Taiwan remained closed for a second day. Authorities warned that strong winds and rough seas continued.